System Operator

INDEPENDENT ELECTRICITY SYSTEM OPERATOR (IESO)

Date: February 25, 2025

Location: Mississauga - On-site

Requisition ID: 20466

Status: Regular

Business Unit: Markets and Reliability

Grade/Band: MP4

Shift Work: Yes

Annual Pay Range: For standard 40-hour work week

Step 1: $126,939.28 to Step 10: $181,376.00

The successful candidate will be placed at the appropriate step within the salary grade/band, based on relevant years of experience and other applicable considerations.

Why join us?

You’ve got great skills. And you want to use them in an organization where you know what you do every day matters. We get that.

We also know that ensuring Ontarians have access to affordable and reliable power doesn’t happen by accident. So we give you the tools, flexibility and support you need to achieve your goals, and development opportunities to help you grow. You’ll thrive in a collaborative, team-based environment that values your unique skills and experiences – and recognizes that when you do better, we become even better too.

Who We Are

The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) works at the centre of the province’s power system, ensuring Ontarians have access to reliable and cost-effective electricity when and where they need it. We operate the province’s electricity grid 24/7, design, run and oversee the wholesale electricity markets, and plan and prepare to meet Ontario’s electricity needs – now and into the future.

What makes this role exciting

The energy sector is rapidly evolving, offering exciting new opportunities for those who want to make a difference.

As a member of the Control Room Operations Team, the System Operator helps fulfill the IESO’s roles as Reliability Coordinator, Transmission Operator and Balancing Authority for the province of Ontario by administering the IESO Controlled Grid (“ICG”) and the IESO Administered Markets (“IAM”) on a minute-to-minute basis ensuring a reliable, competitively-priced and sustainable electricity supply for the province:

• through intense and timely analysis, investigation and execution of control actions;
• in compliance with NERC reliability standards and NPCC criteria;
• within the Market Rules and relevant Regulations;
• through collaborative work with other Operations Team members;
• and under the general direction of the Shift Superintendent.

This is a promotion-in-place (PIP) affected role, candidates with lesser qualifications would be considered for a Assistant System Operator role.

What you’ll do

In this role, you’ll make a meaningful impact by contributing to the IESO team and supporting the electricity needs of the province through:

IESO Administered Markets (“IAM”/”Markets”)

• Immediately direct generation or shed load to mitigate critical conditions and preserve the integrity and reliability of the Bulk Electrical System (BES).
• Coordinate the IAM as per market rules, NPCC criteria and NERC standards.
• Manage the inputs to the Dispatch Scheduling and Optimization engine (“DSO”), review the solution (both real-time (multi-interval optimization (“MIO”)) and pre-dispatch) to ensure accuracy, prepare to manually intervene in the solution if required, and provide final approval of the IAM 5-minute dispatch to maintain the balance of load and generation.
• Monitor/identify/investigate/resolve problems in the real-time and pre-dispatch schedules.
• Monitor/assess/recommend/implement/reconcile ancillary services contracts (e.g. voltage support, regulation) to meet market rule requirements and recommend further actions if the contract requirements are not being met.
• Implement interchange transactions between the IESO and its interconnected neighbours. This includes verifying the accuracy of NERC E-Tags, curtailing tags as required and providing final approval or denial of E-tags and transactions.
• Liaise with neighboring Reliability Coordinators (“RC”) and Balancing Authorities (“BA”) to ensure all interchange schedules are correct and agreed to. This includes working to resolve disagreements in schedules and arriving at an agreed to solution.

IESO Controlled Grid (“ICG”/”System”)

• Immediately direct generation, reconfigure transmission or shed load to mitigate critical conditions and preserve the integrity and reliability of the BES.
• Coordinate the operation of the ICG as per market rules, NPCC criteria, NERC standards and Operating Agreements.
• Monitor/assess/validate/update Operating Security Limits (“OSLs”) used to maintain system reliability throughout the day.
• Monitor/assess/implement/direct the operation of the ICG to maintain all equipment within the ratings provided by market participants, including day-to-day voltage control and power quality.
• Monitor/assess/implement/direct items to provide Area supply, provide ancillary services, maintain pre- and post- contingency voltage, respect thermal and stability limits, implement control actions, and respect transmission capacity and tie-line capacity between the IESO and its interconnected neighbors.
• Implement industry-based processes and procedures as required (e.g. Intertie Distribution Calculator (“IDC”), Transmission Loading Relief (“TLR”), etc.).

Note regarding mental pressure

There is frequent and sustained mental pressure associated with the technical nature and sustained concentration associated with the position. Considerable mental pressure is tied to the decision-making authority relative to the minute-to-minute operation of the electricity delivery system on a 24/7/365 schedule (shift position).

Role Requirements

Our team consists of experts from diverse backgrounds, each bringing their unique perspectives and skills.

To succeed in this role, you’ll need:

• Requires a strong knowledge of electrical theory, power system design, operation and control, associated mathematics and computer applications to undertake system control and management of the IMO-controlled grid. Requires analytical and marketing skills, knowledge of technical writing to prepare reports, and oral and written fluency for effective communication.
• This knowledge is considered to be normally acquired through post-graduate education beyond secondary school plus further extensive theoretical study of subjects pertinent to the electrical discipline and the specialty area of the work function. The job also requires being NERC-certified.
• Requires experience to acquire a full understanding of the Interconnected Power System Operations, of NERC, and NPCC guidelines; of Agreements; of Market Participant equipment capabilities, and technical Directives; of the Market Rules; of Market Participants; of the Facilities Description Documents, of Market Manuals and Market Procedures; of pertinent Station Data, and of all EMS-related software programs. Requires experience with analytical studies and the application of PC operations including program management and organization of files and directories and various software.
• A period of over 6 years and up to and including 8 years is considered necessary to gain this experience.

How We Support You

From a comprehensive total rewards program to dynamic learning and development opportunities—including job rotations to broaden your expertise—we empower you to define and shape your own success. When you join the IESO, here’s what you can expect:

• Best-in-class benefits and long-term support in the form of a defined benefit pension plan.
• Work in a dynamic and evolving sector that offers exciting opportunities and the chance to explore new career paths.
• Leadership that values meaningful discussions, welcomes feedback, and prioritizes career development.
• A strong, inclusive culture and a collaborative team environment with a shared passion for impactful work.
• Compensation packages that are regularly reviewed to remain competitive and to best accommodate the diverse needs of our employees.

For future reference, please save a copy of the job posting as it will no longer be available once the posting closes.

Thank you for your interest in a career at the IESO. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Please note that the successful candidate must be legally eligible to work in Canada and will be subject to applicable background checks.

IESO will not conduct interviews or offer positions via online, text, chat or social media platforms. We will not gather personal information directly from candidates or potential candidates. Selected candidates will work with our Talent Acquisition team to ensure their application is processed.

The IESO currently has a 3-day in-office work week for applicable roles. Over the course of 2026, the IESO will advance plans to acquire additional office space to accommodate more in-office time. While the timeline for moving to a full 5-day in-office model has not yet been established, we are committed to keeping employees and candidates informed as plans progress and give them as much advance notice as possible to prepare for any changes.

We believe in opportunities for everyone.

At the IESO, we know that achieving great results depends on embracing diversity by attracting, developing, and retaining people from a wide variety of backgrounds. We do this by ensuring our recruitment and advancement policies are fair and equitable, and by creating an accessible and inclusive environment—one that values every team member’s unique skills and experiences and ensures they have the support they need to achieve their potential. If you require accommodation during the recruitment process, please let us know. We’re proud to say we’ve been recognized as a supportive, inclusive employer.